Monday, March 30, 2015

I know the lord sent me to this area for a reason and that I am serving with my companion Sister Rasmussen for 3 transfers because the Lord needs us here. “Ask, and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened unto you." These last 2 transfers has been a transfer of transformation and this week has been the key to open the door of understanding. I know the Lord is with us in this work that he leads and guides us to his children that are being prepared and that are seeking him!

He lives and because he lives we can Reach out, Call out, Cry out, He is here during the Good, the Bad, the In-Between No matterwho you are,or who you were, No Exceptions, No lost causes, At all times, In all places "He is here" FIND HIM #BecauseHeLives

I know this is the Lords work and we can’t do it alone. We not only need the help of the ward to love and fellowship their brothers and sisters in the Lord but we need the spirit, the comforter, the warning voice. We need to seek inspiration for each and every child of God that seeks Him and his word.

As me and sister Rasmussen have acted in faith we have invited many of god’s children to be baptized and FIVE have excepted the invitation. :) Andrea had her baptismal interview on Saturday before Women's conference and is preparing for baptism. Thomas and Lara are praying about getting married so Thomas can progress to baptism on the 11th of April and so Lara can progress and receive the blessings of the gospel.

We had a Lesson with Kevin and he told us as he was praying and reading about the prophet Joseph Smith he started crying. He is still praying to know he is a prophet of God but he said he knows he is close to receiving his witness :) the adversary is working on him he told us he had a strong desire to drink coffee and he hasn’t craved coffee for months but he knows that because he has been making huge decisions in his life like marrying his wife who is a member of the church and when he decided he was going to be baptized to reach his other goals of getting sealed to his wife in the temple. He knows that the adversary is putting up road blocks and the gospel is helping him overcome it. He is on date for the 18th of April and is really exited.

Casey is getting more and more excited about the gospel and his wife Carrie, a resent convert, is too. He is on date for the 18ths of April but is struggling at coming to church. On Wednesday we went tracting and the second house we came to was David, a single dad. We had another sister missionary with us so we were allowed to go in. We taught him about the restoration and asked if we could come back. We also invited him to be baptized he said that was too soon but we can come back. So we went back the next day and finished teaching the restoration and invited him again but he still said no. He set up another time for us to come back. so on Thursday we went back with a member and we had our lesson outside and talked about the book of Mormon. He said he hadn’t read yet so we read from the beginning with him and invited him to come to church with us and put him on date for the 18th of April :) and He came to church on Sunday and are members did a good job at fellowshipping his daughter, new a little girl in the ward, and was able to go to primary with her. Miracles happen when you act in faith. We went tracting during spring break on Main where all the stores are and where all the people were. We didn’t have a lot of success until the end. We were walking by this ally and this worker came out and we asked where the ally led to. lol it was pretty sketchy. He said to his work it’s for employees though. He asked a lot of questions about what we do and so I went straight to the first vision. We gave him a book of Mormon and got his number. We set up a lesson. We are going to teach him outside his work because he works all the time and that’s the only place we can teach him so we are going to do just that lol We are really exited! a new transfer to work hard and find the Lords children that are seeking the word of God.

Monday, March 23, 2015

The work is on Fire and we decided that we can’t do it alone. We are trying hard to work with the members. It’s hard so we made this calendar where they just write on it when they can come out so that we can call them during weekly planning and have set members out with us. We have been doing really good at getting members out with us but we are slacking in the other things so we hope that getting members out will soon just be really easy and that we won’t have to think about it too much so we can make our other goals too. We have 4 people on date for April and we are so excited. This area is awesome we just need to find the people that are ready and help the people that are ready now to have a strong testimony’s of the gospel and help them to set goals so they can reach them. I lent Andrea one of my dresses and she left it at her son’s dad’s house but she still made it to church. She just wore dress pants. We were just happy to see her there. Casey was out of town again but we are going to get him to church! And he wants to but let’s himself gets too busy. Thomas had to work. He and Laura are praying about getting married. We keep meeting awesome people and have to give them to the YSA sisters to teach but it’s fun.

We got transfer calls on Saturday and me and Sister Rasmussen are staying together another 6 weeks my first companion that I’ve been with longer than 2 transfers. This will be are 3rd transfer. Woot! we are making goals to do better this transfer this area is like a roller coaster with my emotions lol one second people are progressing and excited and the next they digress and the adversary gets in there. but at church Andrea said she wants to get baptized on the 4th which was really exciting but we think it’s best for her to get baptized on the 11th she has questions about prophets that we know will be answered at conference I love the work even when it gets hard I know it helps me grow

I know that the book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ I know that it goes hand and hand with the bible I know that as you grow your faith in Christ your understanding of his wards will increase I know if you act in faith and read the scripters that trials won’t be so hard to bear the work of the lord is hastening and we are part of the work my mission has taught me a lot but I still have so much to learn and because god loves us we can learn from a living prophet Thomas Monsen who is the prophet of Christ church who leads and guides gods children I’m so excited for conference next weekend I know the church is true I love you all

We had an awesome week :) We have 4 people on date for baptism and we are praying so hard for them. Andrea didn’t make it to church. I gave her a dress and everything she said she left it at her son’s dads. I got a little frustrated but it’s just a dress. Thomas is on date and are trial with him is getting him and Laura married or help Laura understand that they can’t progress if she is living with him. She has a desire to get active and get a testimony Thomas is just waiting for Laura to fall in love with him. I love them both and I know the Lord will help them :) Casey didn’t make it to church. We even went to their house and rang the bell and knocked on all the doors. We called and texted and we still haven’t heard from them so he can’t be baptized on the 28th like he wanted but that’s ok. When he really wants it he will work for it. We are going to just help him find that desire and Kevin is on date for now the 18th of April. Woot! He picked his own date and his goal is to get sealed to his wife :) he is sooooo solid. We had dinner with them last night and he is just a really great guy :) sorry this email is going to be a bit short I haven’t felt too good today but I’ll catch you up on everything next week. Just know the work in Pendleton is progressing and we are sooo exited we are just trying to get our members excited too. We can’t do this work without them. It’s impossible!

Faith, just remember, is the first principal of the gospel. Without faith there is no progression. Act in faith every day. Have faith in the Savior even when you feel there is no hope. It’s the will of God to find his vision for you and you will succeed in all you do. This life is just a small part of eternity. The joy we feel here is nothing compared to our celestial joy in heaven

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Well first off we have a new investigator. Her name is Dee. She is sooo sweet and I love her. She told us she doesn’t normally let missionaries in her house but we were different. She was telling us about her yard and how she really needs to get the leaves out of the yard and clean it up for spring. Sooo on Thursday we did service at Dees house and she told us that she wrote a letter to the church about us. lol I didn’t know people did that. We are going to put her on date today for April 4th we are so excited for her to progress.

Andrea is kind of in a place where she can’t progress. She is living with 2 men because she is homeless and we are trying to find a cheap place for her to live. We found a really small one bedroom house that she might be able to get. I hope so. On Tuesday we are going to put her back on date for March 28th.

We had a lesson with a guy named Ryan. He is very smart and kind of intimidates me. I always feel like I have to say something really profound for him to acknowledge I exist. lol but the other day I just told him my testimony about the atonement in very simple terms and he looked at me and said I agree. It shocked me. I just know the Holy Ghost will help us talk to anyone. If we keep it simple they will be able to understand it in their own language too :) it was cool. We are going on exchanges tomorrow and we have a lesson with him and we are going to put him on date for April 4th. I get to be the one that stays in the area. There are a lot of set appointments on Tuesday where we are going to put people on date and have members in their home with us. :) On Friday we contacted a referral that a member gave us. It was their neighbor. Her name is Mary and she is another new investigator. We asked her if we could come back and teach her more she said yes. We were headed over to our members house so we invited her to invite her neighbor to the lesson. She was like yea of course. lol it was so cool.

We had an awesome zone meeting on Saturday in Milton Freewater. We had trainings on so many things that me and my companion where really struggling with. We didn’t really know why we were but we were. Well one thing that came up in a discussion was when you put people on date to be baptized you put them on date for four weeks, no further. Me and Sister Rasmussen looked at each other and looked down. We were going to put Casey on date for July and we felt so silly. Then we had training about having faith to drop. When I heard that topic I thought of Thomas. He currently is not progressing because he is living with a less active member and she doesn’t want to marry him and he doesn’t want to kick her out well because he loves her and she doesn’t love him. So he can’t be baptized. This week we have to have a drop lesson and really help him understand how important it is to be baptized and not procrastinate the day of your repentance. He knows it’s all true and he wants to be baptized. But he loves this girl more than God right now so we have to have enough faith to drop him. I learned that we need to act in faith a lot more and follow the will of the Lord.

We got dropped off in Adams and tracted the whole day. A lot of people weren’t home but to the people that were we taught the restoration and even invited one to be baptized. She said yes if she came to know what we have is true. She said we can come back but wouldn’t give us an exact day and time so we are going to try her on Saturday. We talked to a lot of really nice people that said they wouldn’t change but they want us to come back so we are going back.

We made it to stake conference and my first ward mission leader brother Ryan Wood was there. It was so cool. I didn’t get to say bye to them when they moved. Our ward was chosen to do a role play about ward counsel. It was really scary and fun. lol then he invited the people that have ever been less active in their life time stand up so I did and 4 other missionaries did in my zone and half of the people in my ward counsel. I looked at a lady and when she saw me she started to cry. After stake conference was over she came up to me and said “you are so strong. I’m grateful you are on a mission to share your conversion story.” I didn’t know the lady and she had no clue my conversion story but she knew by looking at me that it changed my life. I found out later she was a bishops wife in Walla Walla. Brother Wood and Sister Wood, ward mission leaders in the 1st ward, drove us home and bought us some ice cream. When we got home I was so tired because of the time change. lol Sunday I had a hard time waking up but I did it and we got to Walla Walla again for the Sunday Session. Andrea didn’t make it :( after conference we went home and talked while we ate lunch. Well since my year mark I’ve been struggling with thoughts of going home and staying out. I’m so tired all the time and the work is really flat. I didn’t know what to do. I was wondering if I had the desire to stay out or if I just needed to go home. Well I told my companion that and she felt the same. We have both been struggling with that. We both figured out that we still have the desire to do the Lords work we are just really tired. Well I told her that I just need a second wind and then I know I would be able to finish my mission strong. I told her I want to be able to hug my family and tell them that I did it. I finished my mission and I have no regrets :) well that night we got the promptings to go to a guy named Kevin’s house. He married a member and has been going to church every week since I’ve been here. We have asked the bishop 3 times if he could invite him to take the lessons. Every time we follow up he says he will and never does. So after dinner we went to Keith’s house and taught him about the restoration and invited him to be baptized on April 4th. He thought about it and said well it will help him get to his other goals like being sealed to his wife in the temple so he said yes and he said if he can’t on the 4th he will aim for the 11th. We got in the car and just screamed! We were so happy. We acted in faith and followed the will of the Lord. Right after that we ran to Casey’s house and we sat him down and went over his reading and then proceeded to put him on date for the 4th of April as well. He asked if we can move it up to the 28th of March and we said yes. He said thank you so much for caring enough that you didn’t give up on me. I know that what we did that night was an act of faith and I know that we followed the will of the Lord. He really does listen to us. I found my second wind and I’m ready to finish my mission at a dead sprint. I’m going to act in faith and follow the Lords will.

This is the Lords work. It’s His will and we have to be willing to say not my will but thy will be done. I’ve learned that the work is easier when you act in faith and follow the will of God. I love this work and I only have one time in my life that I can serve a mission like this one. I know there are many missions out there waiting for me. I just have to show my self I can do this with the Lords help.

Alma 37:47 And now, my son, see that ye take care of these sacred things, yea, see that ye look to God and live. Go unto this people and declare the word, and be sober. My son, farewell.

Our missions are to do the will of the Lord now. Look to God and live. Act in faith and invite Gods children to come unto Him. I know that this work is the work of the Lord. In these things I pray in the sacred name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sunday, March 8, 2015

This week has been full of miracles and has really strengthened the foundation of my testimony. It’s reminded me of my conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’ve been able to see the atonement of Jesus Christ heal me and I’ve seen it heal the people we teach the gospel to. I was able to share my testimony on Sunday in church and I talked about my conversion but I focused on the atonement and on families. I know that families are essential for our happiness. I’m so grateful that my dad joined the church and got sealed to my mom in the temple because that was the first steps to my conversion and knowing that families can be together for eternity after this life. My parents were that example to me my whole life. The fact that they went to the temple was ingrained in my head and that is a goal I set when I was very little!! I didn’t realize it until I was older and boys talked to me about marriage but the thought always came to me that I want to get married in the temple. Even when I wasn’t on the path for the temple it was a path I knew I wanted to be on. My parents were always there in good and bad times in my life. They always knew just what to say and they always gave me the choice to make. I’m so grateful for that because I know that I made the choice and they didn’t force me to make the right choice. Even though I didn’t always make the right choice I was able to learn from my mistakes and my parents where always there to comfort me and love me. I’m grateful for the trials God puts in our lives to grow. I don’t ever want to go through them again but they have helped me become the person I am today and that I’m grateful for :) I never really knew what the atonement meant until I got out on my mission. I wasn’t using the atonement to its fullest because I didn’t know how the atonement worked. I now know that the atonement of Jesus Christ can heal you. As I studied about the atonement I realized how simple it really was at that. If we don’t use the atonement to the fullest then we are pushing aside all that Christ did for us and we are basically telling him that we will suffer for our own sins but we don’t have to do that!!! Christ suffered for our sins so that we, during the judgment, won’t have to suffer. We can enter in to Gods celestial kingdom where we can be in the presents of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and we get to be with our families. We get to continue to progress and learn :) the simple steps for us to enter into celestial glory is to believe. By having faith in Christ our redeemer, by repenting daily and I say daily because even as a missionary I mess up every day. I either didn’t act in faith or I didn’t do the best I could that day. I could have thought a mean thought to my companion or to someone that was mean to us first, there are so may little things that happen in our lives every day and God gives us that time to pray to him and just ask for forgiveness for what we fall short of. I used to think of repentance as a scary thing but what’s even scarier is suffering for my sins after Christ already did. I don’t have to go through that. All I have to do is act and ask and pray and have communication with God :) in a book I read called “our search for happiness” it said we must be doers of the word and not hearers only. I see myself doing that a lot. When I hear something and I feel the spirit witness to me the truth of it. I get such a good feeling. But when I don’t act on it then I don’t do that and that’s why I love repentance. Because when I catch myself falling short I can repent and I can do better the next time :D I love 2 Nephi 25:23 it says (it is by grace that we are saved, AFTER all we can do... doesn’t that just tell you how much God loves all of us? that after we do all we can then he will do the rest. we all fall short but though the atonement of Christ we can be healed and we can be better. we can enter into Gods kingdom but we have to work for it. there’s a scripter that I found that reminds me of my conversion and helps me to continue to strengthen my faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. you will have to look it up. it’s kind of long to write but it’s in 1 Nephi 21:14-18 it just reminds me that I will never go back to how I once was. I will continue progressing and never allow myself to digress and I will continue to use the atonement to its fullest and show Christ that I’m grateful for what He did for me and I’m not going to lay that gift to the side but use it to its fullest!

I’ve seen a lot of miracles this week. We were able to go to Helix, a really small town outside of Pendleton. We decided we were going to try to talk to everyone in Helix after we try to go by all the part member families out there. They ended up all living in the far country of Helix. Well we got to one families house and they weren’t home so we left a sticky note telling them that we would love to do service or help out in any way. As we were leaving, a guy in a truck pulled up and we talked to him. He said he lived there so we just assumed that it was the guy that we were looking for. He said they were busy until January next year lol because they are farmers. so week took that and ran with it :) we asked them if they knew the Jones he said yes and gave us directions :) so we drove even further and couldn’t find the house. So we pulled in to this driveway to turn around and this lady came out and wasn’t really friendly at first. We explained that brother Ferenbocker told us that the Jones lived over here but we couldn’t find the house. She looked confused and said who told you that and we told her his name again. She said MY HUSBAND?? umm i think sooooo??? She said her husband is over there in the field and we asked if they owned another house they said no lol so we found the real Ferenbockers and she said we can come back on a Sunday !!!! So we are really exited and she gave us her number and real address :) that was the first miracle. Then we got in contact with TARESA!!!!! We thought she fell of the face of the earth for 2 almost 3 months and we now have an appointment to teach her tonight at 6!!!!!! I’m so excited! We are going to put her back on date and help her get back to where she was before all the trials started in her life. she got really depressed and sick. She might have cancer :(

We ran out of miles Saturday night right before dinner so we parked our car and walked :) until Sunday lol it was funny but we wanted to be obedient :) we have a lot of new people we are teaching in 1st ward and we are going to teach Dee and her daughter tonight :) she is a less active 7th day Adventist. She is really nice and told us she went to seminary :) Andrea is getting better from what happened last week but she is living with her x and that’s not good but that’s the only place she can go so we are going to have a member present lesson with her at the church 2 times a week. We are just going to help her get out of that bad environment :)

I know this church is true. I know that it was restored in its fullness by Joseph Smith and I know that the priesthood is back on the earth. It was given to Joseph Smith to run Christ church. I know that families can be together for time and all eternity and I know that the atonement of Jesus Christ can heal you and lead you to celestial glory. I know that is gospel has changed my life and I see myself changing and becoming more like my Savior every day. I see myself having more Hope for the people I work with. I have more knowledge of the gospel of Christ. I have more love for my investigators and companion and more charity :) I’m more virtuous. I have more faith and I strive to act on it every day. I’m more humble and diligent and I am much more patient in Gods timing for everything. I’m much more obedient than I was when first came out. Those are all the attributes of being more like Christ. A quote I love and i wrote on another quote my mom gave me is (When you have done your very best, you may still experience disappointment but you will not be disappointed in yourself. you can feel certain that the Lord is pleased when you feel the spirit working through you.)

I’m really working on accomplishing my goals this month. The goal this week is to help me accomplish my goals for the month. We want to get 3 people on date 4 to church 10 lessons with a member present 7 other lessons and we want 8 of our investigators to progress in the gospel. We want to talk to 70 people this week about the gospel :) and we are going to invite 5 people to be baptized. I’m really exited for this next week. We are going to work really hard to accomplish or exceed our goals :)

Love Sister Steen

Trying to take cool pictures with our badges

My face is healing up so fast. It got so bad when I was sick. I am so grateful how fast it is healing.

We do service at PAWS a animal shelter and we got to name a bunch of cats. I named these. Scrapper reminded me of Grandpa Wright's cat Scrapper.

Lacey's Mailing Address

Sister Steen and Sister Satele

Sister Steen and Sister Rasmussen

Sister Steen and Sister Allred

Sister Steen and Sister Peatross

Sister Steen and Sister Harris

Sister Steen and Sister Davis

Sister Lacey Catherine Steen

Mission

favorite quote

"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will find out that he can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life to God will find he has eternal life."